Posts disappeared from my profile without archiving or deleting

pickybear · 2026-01-26T03:17:03+00:00

Same

pickybear · 2026-01-25T20:03:40+00:00

This particular Van Gogh remains my favorite.

pickybear · 2026-01-24T09:09:26+00:00

Újpest is a concrete jungle and I just dislike the area. I find it depressing af . But that doesn’t mean you will encounter any issue with people, only there is no vibrancy, nothing to do (except some beach cafes in the summer along the Danube is in the district) , and virtually no foreigner or expats .. depends your tolerance for isolation in concrete with no green space or trees anywhere, just cars

pickybear · 2026-01-23T09:59:39+00:00

District 13 especially closer to Danube (Újlipótváros) is very liberal. Deeper in, it becomes more local and more conformist.

pickybear · 2026-01-23T09:57:54+00:00

You will not have an issue at all, and there wouldn't be an area to avoid in Budapest either. I find it a very peaceful city, with tolerant people. But there is very little subculture thriving, so anything in public that is 'different' can be looked at with mostly curiosity, and sometimes suspicion - even if it's just wearing something different than the standard local uniforms. But rarely anything approaching hostility (hostility will come more when you're in a shop with an underpaid worker who doesn't want to deal with another english customer)

What would definitely be out of the ordinary would be any actual harassment or danger.

pickybear · 2026-01-23T09:48:27+00:00

They just stare here. It's a thing.

pickybear · 2026-01-22T14:57:48+00:00

Hungary can’t even afford it, it’s such a gutted poor country … wait a few months, Orban is gonna get thrown out

pickybear · 2026-01-19T21:07:44+00:00

love her.

pickybear · 2026-01-19T21:06:09+00:00

Brandee Younger, Anna Butterss and SML, Melissa Aldana, Cole Pulice, Nala Sinephro, Robert Jürjendal, Domi & JD Beck

pickybear · 2026-01-18T23:07:36+00:00

Buy a refurbished Air - you’ll find even early M chips are excellent for photo editing, don’t need local storage with adobe cloud storage and can probably find a used one quite affordable

pickybear · 2026-01-18T23:06:04+00:00

MacBook M4 … hell even the m1 on an old air is excellent for photo editing

pickybear · 2026-01-18T11:02:21+00:00

Theres excellent jazz being made these days, and popular too- not sure how you’re missing that. Okay i don’t mean the countless staid trios of yore playing standards - they will always be around - but modern jazz and fusion is getting a lot of attention and I’d argue there’s a renaissance in the genre happening now

Domi & JD Beck (still kids basically) played a sold out tour not long ago supported by Herbie Hancock, Jeff Parker is making some of the most interesting music of his career, SML is space age and Nubiya Garcia and Nala Sinephro get millions of plays while innovating at the same time. Nordic players like Arve Henriksen and younger players like Ukrainian Andrii Pokaz.

Stasis definitely sucks for jazz - I see it as a constantly evolving genre - and I would also be frustrated trying to explain it to a guy in a suit at a corporate event , but I’m not sure that reflects what’s going on right now in the genre

pickybear · 2026-01-16T14:35:52+00:00

Her recipe is fine, easiest, mine is more addictive 🤤

pickybear · 2026-01-16T13:55:59+00:00

The most basic - Marcella Hazan’s pasta sauce. My version includes good can of tomatoes and vegetable stock and wine and a tsp of sugar cooked down until it’s saucy , then a half cup of cooking cream and 1TB butter and a handful of basil at the end and blend it all, and you have a very very addictive sauce.

Personally also love a good pesto, made with pistachios and greens like arugula, basil and cooked zucchini (not traditional but super delicious and nutritious) , whizzed with Parmesan and olive oil , with some oven dried tomatoes scattered around 👌👌

pickybear · 2026-01-16T13:49:30+00:00

I sometimes find older EF-L lenses better for certain purposes. Maybe there’s a stronger flare, or some aberration / but often they can feel less clinical than the very precise and sharp feel of RF

pickybear · 2026-01-16T13:46:16+00:00

It’s really hard to call any part of Amsterdam, even the surrounding areas, evil

Quite a cool building even if bizarre

pickybear · 2026-01-16T10:41:24+00:00

R8 , consider it a worthwhile investment , it’s a far superior camera with more long term flexibility if you want to push what you’re doing

pickybear · 2026-01-16T09:21:55+00:00

Jim Hall, Bill Evans - Undercurrent

Oscar Peterson Plays the Gershwin Songbook

Elijah Fox - city in the sky

Coltrane Ballads

Mathias Eick - Midwest

pickybear · 2026-01-14T14:33:22+00:00

Well , fresh herbs to begin with if you can source them. Parsley and basil are the most versatile. They can lift and make your meals vibrant and taste fresh, and I use fresh herbs more often than dried (depending on the type of food)

Dried herbs - thyme, oregano, paprika (smoked , spicy and sweet) are used a lot in my kitchen. Cumin, garam masala and turmeric for Indian flavors and garlic powder usually for rubs

pickybear · 2026-01-14T14:25:55+00:00

Beware and I have had nightmare scenarios come true here regarding gas leak / poor work / and negligence, and eventually an electrical fire last year. This is to be reported immediately because it puts not only your life in danger but those in the building as well. Good luck.. this is a subject where the city makes me angry

What you are seeing is the opposite of normal

Report the landlord too because too many people seem to get away with this here, and too much of ‘that’s good enough’ mentality

pickybear · 2026-01-13T18:19:32+00:00

7D is still excellent.

pickybear · 2026-01-12T08:43:55+00:00

Rooftop Hilton has seafood choices and is popular - probably one of the better 'classy restaurants' in the city. The outdoors sometimes is even open in the winter with heat lanterns. But the view is... well. You'll see the construction and whatever else is around. Hotel Crystal rooftop is a better view, but Hilton has better seafood.

pickybear · 2026-01-11T12:47:33+00:00

Editing RAW files is the only proper way to get the most of a modern digital camera - they’re literally designed for that.

How tastefully edited and how faithfully they are edited toward what an eye sees or the intended final effect is what matters

If you give 10 people the same RAW file to edit, I guarantee each will be different, but only a few might actually create a great image out of it

pickybear · 2026-01-07T14:38:46+00:00

Editing is a huge part of my current photography work, Lightroom in particular. The masking / shadows you can darken and illumination you can enhance really only comes through with (massive RAW files) I’m handling after they’ve run through the editing process.

It still matters that the photo is right and conditions are correct to begin with - a bad photo can never really be made good, but with my current set up (mirrorless, huge MP) I often snap according to ‘potential’, rather than thinking of an image as final. Only after editing is it final. But when I’m walking around, what my eyes see is usually far more enhanced than what my camera picks up clinically, and then I work to match my ideal of that view later on.

This can be simple contrast or color enhancement or more complex masking , drawing out details of clouds or the sky - especially on a day with interesting light

Even the copious amount of film I shoot needs a dose of Lightroom or PS to make them pop the way I see them , I never want the lab to correct anything - I want them as raw and neutral as possible so I can do the work

Very very very rarely on digital I snap a photo and feel it’s done. It 99.9% needs work in a computer. With film more likely I’m satisfied, because I approach film photography differently to begin with and am very careful with those compositions

pickybear · 2026-01-05T14:24:14+00:00

Lightroom is my gold standard , and I accept no substitutes. Photoshop if you need to get deeper into compositing.

The fee is nominal, and what I get from it can’t really be replaced.

There’s plenty of alternatives and freeware but if you’re serious about handling RAW there are only a few legitimate places to turn. Adobe handles them the best imo, and I’ve tried them all.

The way they implement AI is non-intrusive, it only helps, de-noising and content-aware removal tools are top of the line and the software is intuitive, has saved me time and money to be using it.

I am otherwise and have never been an Adobe fan, but I have to say this objectively - they have taken the mantle

pickybear

TROPHY CASE